Battle of Declarations

Read through 1 Samuel 17:1-58

Goliath had been coming out to taunt the Israelites for forty days, every morning he came forward and took a stand against them. He was declaring fear directly into the Israelite camp, and it was working.

Until David came along.

David had been living in a place of isolation in the fields, which had led him into intimacy with God. This intimacy grew David’s confidence, and as God delivered him from the claws of the bear and the lion, David’s assurance in the Lord grew.

So when he came to face Goliath, he had confidence that the battle belonged to the Lord.

David declared: ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against

you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied…’(v. 45)

David understood that this battle was not going to be won on physical strength, but it was a spiritual battle upon which he was confident in victory through the Lord.

He spoke the name of the Lord and brought a higher authority into the situation. Authority is not about size, it is about who is behind you and within you. 

We invoke an authority that is above them all when we declare in the name of the Lord Jesus. The enemy uses the same tactics of fear and intimidation today that he used against the Israelites then. He will try to rob you of your confidence in God and keep you in a place of fear, insecurity and doubt.

Activation: Take David’s example today. Come to a place of intimacy with God. Ask him to remind you of the victories that He has already brought you through. Allow your confidence in the Lord to grow as you remember what He has done for you. Now bring to mind a battle that you are currently facing, make declarations over that situation in the name of Jesus – that the victory is His. ‘I declare that I have victory over this situation (insert your own words) in the name of Jesus. The battle belongs to the Lord, and in His name I will overcome.’